


Stardew Jelly

by Hybridlizard



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Backstory, F/F, F/M, Romance, Worldbuilding, eventually polyamory, i'll figure these out as i go along, tiny house
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-05 06:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14611845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hybridlizard/pseuds/Hybridlizard
Summary: A young previously homeless woman in a tiny house on a trailer replies to an ad placed by Mayor Lewis to rent out a small plot of land in Cindersap forest, a yearning to change and find control in her life leads to some interesting adventures, relationships, self discovery, and a lot of home made jelly products.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What even are summaries, might change it in the future, might not. Future chapters will be much longer, just wanting to test the waters here a bit. This is the written form of a story Ive already been slowly creating in comic form (see https://tapas.io/series/Stardew-Jelly ). HOWEVER, this version will include a large missing chunk of story in the beginning I did not include in the comics. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcomed, but please try to be constructive, I don't write regularly so this is my first major push into getting some practice in.

The warm mid-spring breeze teased the brim of Ianthe's hat, the aromatics of honeysuckle, freshly mown grass, and a hint of saltwater were a more than welcomed exchange for the stagnant industrial air of the city. She had never known anywhere else, never traveled, but it felt almost nostalgic.

Besides some brief interactions with Abigail after arriving in town and with the mayor himself, she knew no one in this town. She was a stranger, an outsider from the city, but somehow she already felt welcomed and at ease, like a suffocating fog was left behind and relinquished a tight grasp on her throat.

She had spent the last 8 years of her life building towards this moment, literally.  
She was sitting on the metal hitch between the mayors truck and the small trailer based house she had at last completed and built herself after working job to job, sleeping shelter to shelter, and on unfortunate occasion, the streets. She would frequently sleep tucked away into a bush or tall patch of grass in the few corners of nature the city had to offer. 

No one really noticed or cared, few people in Zuzu city seemed to take any remaining interest in what public parks hadn't been claimed by Joja for new development.

An arrangement made upon answering a small ad buried in a sea of business cards at a coffee shop had brought her to this moment.

A small plot of land for rent, no sales, no new development, so perfect for her particular situation she felt it too good to be true and held onto the ad for 2 full weeks before making the call, but here she was, waiting for the mayor to return to her with the necessary paperwork. Certainly not something she was fond of or familiar with, but she understood well enough, and what choice did she really have? She had come too far to turn back now, too close to finally having a fragment of control over her own fate.

“Ah ha! Here we are! I knew I still had these papers tucked away somewhere.” Mayor Lewis chimed as he stepped out from his home, blowing a layer of dust from the stack of yellowing papers in hand. “Really more of the same of what you already know, but take your time to read.” he said as he handed her the papers and a pen.

“Oh, sure.” Ianthe replied as she turned to press the papers against the house for support. They were more than just dusty and yellow, they were crumbling at the edges, exactly how old were these documents? Despite the growing knot in her stomach, she swallowed and continued to scan over the fine print. She didn't really understand most of it, but in the end she didn't really care, she could be signing her soul away and still proceed head strong at this point, there was no turning back.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young previously homeless woman in a tiny house on a trailer replies to an ad placed by Mayor Lewis to rent out a small plot of land in Cindersap forest, a yearning to change and find control in her life leads to some interesting adventures, relationships, self discovery, and a lot of home made jelly products.

With one final click of steel, Ianthe's trailer was free from the truck that towed it. Now in place, nestled under the trees of the forest not all that far of a distance from the shore line, she proceeded to pull a few stone blocks from the bed of the mayor's truck to place behind the wheels of the trailer, insuring no surprise joy rides during the night.

“Ya see, no problem to it!” Lewis gleamed as he slid from the seat of the vehicle.

“I'm just amazed that wood bridge held up, I wouldn't have imagined it was built for vehicle use.”

“It's not.” he replied, giving a sly wink. Ianthe's eye visibly twitched as a thousand alternative scenarios washed over her mind in horror.

Though he was silent, she couldn't help but notice the puzzling expression on the mayor's face as he paced around the now anchored tiny home on wheels. 

“Is there something wrong, Mayor Lewis?” she asked.

“No.. no, not really. And please, just Lewis is fine. _I mean.._ how does it work- do you have electricity? Where does the sew- Forgive me, I'm afraid I'm a little lost on a structure such as this, will you be in need of any utilities..?” he managed to sputter out with some degree of success.

“It may look a tad bit fancier, but the basic principles aren't all that different from your basic RV. I won't be having much need for electricity myself.. besides the small solar panel and battery that powers an overhead light at night.” She turned to open the hidden compartment near the base of the hitch revealing a large propane tank and a few other mechanisms.

“The propane powers a single stove burner and warms water when available for bathing, a small wood fireplace should keep me warm through the colder seasons. As for the intricacies of how the toilet works, I could show you-”

“No no, that's _quite_ alright!” He nervously cut her off, clearly uncomfortable with the details of the matter. 

“It's simple, but I think I understand now.. even so, if you do find yourself in need of anything more, don't hesitate to stop by and ask. I'm sure plenty of the towns-folk here would be happy to help as well.”

“That's very kind of you, I'll be sure to remember that.” Though her intention was to be sincere, she knew her voice must have wavered. 

She preferred to keep things simple and on her own, depending on others had always left her with regretful uncertainty. She hoped in time her new life here would allow for her to let people to get close again, to depend on others, but the survival instincts she had developed up to this point were deeply ingrained. Still though.. perhaps that was a version of herself best left in the city. One could hope.

“If you fancy meeting up with most of the local folk tonight, you can usually find them at the local saloon on Fridays, the Stardrop Saloon that is. I'll be there there myself!”

Ianthe simply nodded and smiled to the man, not wanting to give a response to imply a yes or no to the casual invite. She waved as he returned to the vehicle to make his return into the heart of town. 

Hearing the creaking and cracking of the bridge in the distance caused every muscle in her body to tense, waiting for a large splash to follow.. but as everything fell silent, all but the sounds of nature around her, she allowed herself to melt to the ground into a relaxed position, simply taking in the surrounding atmosphere of her new home.

Home. She had a home now, the thought was overwhelmingly comforting to her, to the point that she was soon drifting into a peaceful slumber. She allowed it to happen, she didn't mind, not even questioning the sudden exhaustion. The grass was soft and fragrant, the breeze warm with a touch of humidity. It was perfect. She drifted..

_Chirp_

Birds?

_Chirp cheep chirp_

Very loud birds, she thought to herself. 

She reluctantly managed to pry a single eye open in response to the alarm-like call of nature, only to find herself staring into two small eyes looking back, merely inches from her face. She wasn't quite sure what to think or feel in the moment, what movement to make. 

It almost seemed the two would have been locked into an awkward staring contest for eternity had not the wind brushed blades of grass into Ianthe's eyes, this caused her to spring up from her position, rubbing her eyes in response to the unwelcome irritant. 

As she re-opened to lock back onto the unusual creature, it was gone, with nothing but the familiar chirps of the regional birds left in it's absence. A dream, perhaps?

She shrugged it off and peered upwards to the sky between the canopy of the forest. She must have been asleep for a few hours, the sun was starting to set. She stood up, stretched, and grabbed for her cloak she had left hanging on the small porch of her home. There was a chill on the sea breeze that moved in from the shore, and it was time for her to move further inland as well.

Ianthe had little to no desire to go to the saloon, she was already exhausted from the necessary social interaction she already had today, but if Lewis' words were true that most of the towns-folk were going to be there, this was an opportune time to scout out the town alone and undisturbed to get her bearings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer, but still short. Hoping to get these a bit longer with each chapter I finish, I need to get a proper feel for how written work flows in contrast to how the comic version flows, it's very different.  
> For those who havnt previously followed the visual version or any of my art feed, here's Ianthe.  
> 


End file.
